TECHNICAL NOTE ■ STA BE 16-16 GB

TRUING COMMUTATORS
and SLIP-RINGS

Any deformation of a commutator or slip-ring of rotating machines results in operational difficulties which
sometimes appear suddenly and in various ways:

– Sparking at the brushes,

– Scoring of segments,
– Heating of the commutator or slip-rings,
– Rapid brush wear with or without breakage of saddles, pressure plates and shearing of flexibles,
– Deformation and breakage of brush-holder springs.

The higher the speed of rotation of the machine is the more serious these defects become. For this reason, it
is desirable to take immediate action.

The deformation of a commutator may develop in various ways:

– Eccentricity or ovalisation, commonly called ”out-of-round”,

– Irregular deformation due to uneven wear,
– Flats caused by depressed segments due to electrical erosion,
– Segments projecting (high bars), segments recessed (low bars),
– Loosening of segments, occuring after overloading of the machine,
– Bad condition of bearings.

When a commutator has loosened, the manufacturer or a specialised repairer, should be consulted, since re-
tightening, which is generally carried out hot, is a delicate operation calling for suitable tools and experien-
ced work-force.

Measuring ”out-of-round”

One procedure is to attach a profilemeter firmly to the motor frame with the sensor of the instrument resting on
the top of a brush. The contest area of the brush should be reduced to the thickness of one connection seg-
ment. When the commutator is rotated extremely slowly the profilemeter detects the segments which are
recessed or projecting.

Another option is to measure the dynamic deformation by means of remote measuring instruments (capacitive
picks-ups and oscillographs). – See Technical Note STA BE 16-26 GB.

If the deformation exceeds a few hundredths of a millimetre (depending upon the peripheral speed) then
truing must be carried out.
c) Truing with an abrasive stone:

This is the only method for truing a commutator or a slip-ring at their normal operating speed, when that
peripheral speed is very high. This method removes the minimum amount of material.

It must be remembered that it is always desirable to true a commutator or a slip-ring at its normal rotation
speed, due to the dynamic deformations occuring at this speed.

We recommend to use medium abrasive stone (symbol ”M”) for the phases of finition.

For LARGE MACHINES

If no driving motor is available, and provided some precautions are adopted, one may consider truing a col-
lector ”under voltage”:

– Withdraw all brushes except 1 or 2 per arm, and supply the machine at reduced voltage,

– On the arm level with the lathe slide, remove all the brushes and brush holders and insulate the arm,

– Similarly, the slide must be insulated from the frame of the machine, so must the operator carrying out the
truing operation,

– Ensure that safety recommendations (UTE C 18-515 publication) are observed,

– Lastly, the machine being supplied at minimum voltage, will have been uncoupled from its load; it will there-
fore rotate under no-load, at minimum current.

USING FRAMES

These robust and precise appliances, of small dimensions, require only a perfectly stable support.

The main conditions to be fulfilled in order to carry out satisfactory truing are:

– Bring the frame level with the commutator axis,

– Ensure that the stone-holder slide is parallel with the axis of the commutator to be trued,

– Rotate the commutator in order to have the stone in trailing position (see Fig. 1),

– Ensure that no substantial play exists in the slides,

– Fix the frame rigidly to the motor carcass or to the brush-holder arm with an adaptor.

commutator

stone

approx. 15°

frame brush-holder arm

Fig. 1
TRUING

There is a choice between two methods, depending upon whether or not it is possible to remove the rotor
from the machine.
In all cases, prevent copper swarf or dust from entering the armature winding for it could cause some short-
circuits between coils. To reduce this risk, it is sufficient to fix thick paper bands on the risers, forming a pro-
tective screen for the armature winding.

1) On the lathe
This method is applicable to low and medium power rotors, the rotation speed of which is less than or equal
to 1 500 rpm.

Recommended conditions for truing commutators

and slip-rings

Cutting Depth
Feed speed
Tool speed of cut
(mm/rev)
(m/mn) (mm)

High speed steel 45 - 60 0.1 - 0.2 0.05 - 0.15

commutator Tungsten carbide 100 - 300 0.05 - 0.1 0.05 - 0.15
Diamond 300 - 1500 0.04 - 0.1 0.03 - 0.10

rings High speed steel 20 - 40 0.05 - 0.15 0.10 - 0.15

bronze & Tungsten carbide 100 - 150 0.05 - 0.10 0.10 - 0.15
steel

2) Rotor in situ
The truing of commutators or slip-rings can be carried out with:
a) a lathe tool,
b) a grinding wheel,
c) an abrasive stone.

a) Truing with a lathe tool:

This is only possible if a lathe slide can be mounted on the frame of the machine.
It is also necessary to be able to drive the rotor by an auxiliary motor or power supply and when possible to
approach above operating conditions.
The inverted tool is much used, being placed slightly below centre.

b) Truing by grinding wheel (not often used):

This procedure involves the use of a grinder mounted on slides; several types of these exist.
This assembly is mounted on the frame of the machine; the grinding wheel must rotate in the same direction as
the commutator.
The grain of the grinding wheel should be medium for rough truing, and fine for the finishing operation.
Ensure that the grinding wheel does not clog, for this may cause lapping of the copper.
The cuts must be small (of the order of 2 to 3/100 mm), in order to obviate tearing and crushing of the cop-
per, which might block the inter-segment recesses and create difficulty in the subsequent operations of scra-
ping the micas and chamfering the segments.
Also the passes must always be very small in order to obtain a perfectly regular surface state (particularly at
the end of the operation).

On each reversal of the slide, the stationary time of the stone must be kept as short as possible to prevent
grooves being formed.

The medium grain grinding stone will be suitable for the majority of cases.

IMPORTANT POINTS

– 1 – After truing, the surface state should correspond with the defined conditions in our Technical Note STA
BE 16-1. These are:

Large Commutators Ra = 0.9 to 1.8 µm.

Small Commutators Ra = 0.5 to 1 µm.
Steel or bronze rings Ra = 0.75 to 1.25 µm.

A glazed or over polished surface develops brush difficulties due to vibration and instability.

– 2 – Truing of commutators must always be followed by chamfering the bar edges (See Technical Note
STA 3) necessary micas. Micas should be at least 1 to 1.5 mm deep and can be increased by a sui-
table hand tool of high speed or diamond or by the use of a saw having the appropriate thickness to

Imprimé en France - S.I.C. - CHATEAUNEUF sur LOIRE

clear the interbar completely of mica.

– 3 – Safety. There are precise rules governing the safety of operators and protection to be worn when car-
rying out these operations.

These rules must be observed (See publication UTE C 18-515).

For any further information please contact our Motor Maintenance Service:
Tel.: + 33 (0)3 22 54 47 86 - Fax: + 33 (0)3 22 54 46 27.

BE 16-16 GB 9911

The specifications or data herein contained are only given for indication, without any undertakings whatsoever. Their publication does not suggest that the matter is free of any rights whatsoever. Furthermore, due to constant evolution of tech-
nics and norms, we reserve the right to modify, at any time, the characteristics and specifications contained in this document. LE CARBONE-LORRAINE refuses all and any responsibility concerning their use whatever the purpose or the appli-
cation. Any copy, reproduction or information herein contained, in whole or in part, made without LE CARBONE-LORRAINE written consent, is forbidden according to the laws of France and particularly the law nr. 92-597 of July 1st 1992,
relating to the copyright.

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Applications Electriques
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